can you write something about the cubs seeing each others childhood rooms/homes for the first time?
we kind of got a little with Leo’s home in NOLA and that moment of Logan thinking about walking through the house and “looking for signs of him” was just so freaking precious I NEED MORE
I just imagine in my mind leo had an attic room that was floor to ceiling wall to wall book shelves and Finn just being OBSESSED and them seeing old pictures of each other ugh it would just be so adorable
:)
TW: MCD spoilers in Little Women!
Credits to @lumosinlove
This was all he needed, Logan thought as he watched Leo and Finn unload Leo's Jeep. He roved his eyes over Leo's forearms, starkly tan against the white cooler, even in the porch light. Finn whispered something to him and kissed his cheeks, taking the cooler from him with a smile. Leo looked pleased and content. Something settled in his shoulders, being in NOLA, Logan could tell. He wanted to feel the relaxed muscles and put a hand on Leo's lower back.
Leo turned to look down at him. “Hi, sweetheart.” He kissed Logan softly on the forehead. “You okay?”
Logan nodded, tucking his nose into Leo's shoulder. “Ouais. Merci, for today.”
“Yeah,” Finn agreed. “Thanks for the boat ride.”
Leo raised his eyebrows. “Just the boat ride?”
Logan felt warm as Finn's cheeks and ears flushed around his freckled grin. “And other things.”
Leo leaned over to kiss his forehead, too. “You're welcome, sweetheart.” He patted Logan's waist. “Bed time, c'mon. I'll clean the cooler while you get in the shower.”
Finn and Logan tried to insist on helping, but Leo waved them off and distractedly put ice packs back in the freezer. They each took one last look at his long, lean legs before quietly creeping up the stairs.
Leo's bedroom was set at the end of the hall, right beside another door. Logan and Finn glanced at it curiously before opening the door to Leo's room. Logan felt something nestle deep in his chest.
The room even smelled like Leo. It was warm and inviting, and meticulously organized, as all his things were. His bed was neatly made, pillows fluffed against the headboard with a stuffed duck resting on them, and there were three books stacked on the night stand beside it. His dresser held other little signs of him: his cologne, his Honors Society cord, some birthday cards, a couple photos. Most of them looked old. There was one of Leo and his parents on the boat when he was little, another of him and his cousins on Leo's draft day. But then there was a photo without a frame, leaning against a tournament trophy. Logan peered closer and smiled softly. “Rouge, ici.”
“Mm?” Finn asked. He looked up from where he was getting their toiletry bags and pajamas. “What is it, baby?”
“Allez, look.”
Finn walked over and rested his chin on Logan's shoulder, arms tight around his waist. Logan leaned back into his body. He felt as Finn smiled against his neck with an amused sound. “He’s just such a sweetheart, isn't he?”
“Ouais,” Logan sighed happily.
He reached to touch the edges of the photo. It was of the three of them at Dumo's cup party just a few weeks previous. Finn was in the middle, a hand tight around each of their waists and a big smile on his face. Logan was leaning against him, expression soft and tired, and maybe a bit tipsy. He and Leo had their arms crossed over Finn's abdomen, Logan's strong hand rubbing Leo's forearm. On Finn's other side, Leo had his head tilted with a wide, happy grin, his blue eyes twinkling and his cheeks a gorgeous shade of blushing red. Logan ran his thumb over it. For such a new photo, the edges were frayed.
“I forgot we took that,” Finn commented. He kissed Logan’s skin. “I wonder when he printed it.”
As if on cue, they heard Leo's footsteps approaching. The door opened slowly, and Finn and Logan both turned to look. When Leo saw them, he smiled widely. “Hi.” He saw where they were facing and glanced between them and the photo. His cheeks flushed. “Oh. You found it.”
Finn reached a hand out to draw Leo to them. Logan pressed his nose into Leo's chest before looking up at him. “When did you print it?”
Leo's face got even redder. “The day I arrived here in New Orleans.”
Finn bit his lip in amusement and nudged Leo's jaw with his nose. “But the edges are frayed.”
“I just missed you,” Leo whispered, obviously slightly sheepish. “I hold it when I go to bed.”
Logan shifted him and Finn so he was facing Leo directly. He reached up to tangle his hand in Leo's hair, drawing him down for a kiss. “Je t'adore.”
“You're so good, baby,” Finn said. He pressed a hand to Leo's cheek. “What did we do to deserve you?”
Leo just shrugged and kissed his palm. “Good things.”
Finn smiled and brought his hand down to caress Leo's ribs. They stood there in silence for a minute before Finn let out a noise. “Hey, what's the other door out there?”
Leo's grin was all teeth. “Oh! C'mon, I'll show you.” Then he was out the door.
Finn and Logan looked at one another curiously before following. Leo put a finger to his lips then crept up a winding stairwell of the now-open secret door. They ascended slowly, careful to limit the creaking. When they reached the top, Leo flicked on a light. Finn let out a gasp and a laugh. “Oh my God!”
Leo turned to them and smiled proudly. Lined along the walls of the small attic were a couple of bookshelves overflowing with novels. Beside them was a rocking chair and a small ottoman, Winnie the Pooh pillows resting on top of each of them.
Finn took a step forward and touched along the spine of a hardback. He smiled softly. “Peanut, this is amazing.”
Leo looked proud and pleased as he stepped behind Finn to cup his hips. “It's my reading nook.”
Logan walked up to the other bookshelf. There were children's books on the top shelf, but the rest of them were chapter books, a few with French titles. “How long have you had this, mon soleil?”
Leo reached out to wrap and arm around Logan's waist and pull him in. “Since I was about seven. We don't have a lot of extra stuff, and we have the cellar, so Dad and I found some disassembled bookshelves and the rocking chair at yard sales, then fixed them up here. Also got a used AC unit and repaired it, too. That's how I learned to use a drill.”
Finn looked over his shoulder with raised eyebrows. “You can use a drill?”
Leo looked smug. “Sure can.”
“Hot.” Finn went back to flicking through the book he was holding. “I can't believe we've never heard of this place before.”
Leo blushed a little. “I wanted to wait until you came home with me for the first time. To surprise you with it.”
Finn turned in Leo's arms, book clutched to his chest, and kissed him. “Best surprise ever.”
Leo smiled into Finn's next kiss. “I'm glad you like it.” He kissed Finn once more, than Logan's forehead. “C'mon, choose a book. We can read it before bed.”
Finn considered a few before picking up a well-worn paperback with a nod. He looked up at them softly. The warm light made his eyes look almost golden. “Okay. Let's go shower and go to bed.”
Leo nudged him down the steps before turning to Logan. He, too, looked golden in the light. “You coming, sweetheart?”
Logan nodded. “Ouais.” He stepped into Leo's space and leaned up for a kiss. “Je t'aime.”
Leo touched their foreheads together. “I love you. Thanks for letting me take you home.”
“Toujours,” Logan whispered. “Always.”
Then he laced their fingers together and followed Leo down the stairs.
***
Finn took a deep breath as he glanced up the stairway towards where he knew Logan's bedroom was. The Tremblay family was still wrapped up in welcoming Logan home and welcoming Leo for the first time. Iva had Leo wrapped in a hug, speaking fast French to him and making him laugh. It relieved Finn a bit to see him smiling. This house held a lot of good memories for Finn, but also a lot of strained ones: longing looks at Logan's back in the mornings, yearning desire whenever Logan took off his shirt to help his parents in the garden. He hoped that it would only hold good memories for Leo, touched by nothing bad save for the initial anxiety of entering into a world he hadn't been a part of previously.
Finn took another breath and settled a hand on Leo's back, who was picking up his duffel bag.
Leo turned to him and stepped closer. His eyes were soft, maybe a little relieved, as they met Finn's own. “You alright, honey?”
Finn nodded. “Yeah. Just love you.”
Leo smiled. “I love you, too.” He glanced up the stairwell briefly, then behind him. Marius and Iva had disappeared into the kitchen, and now it was just Logan and his sisters chatting away in rapid French. Leo leaned in closer. His beautiful blue eyes pinned Finn where he was. “It's okay to be nervous, sweetheart. You both hurt for a long time.”
Finn sighed and closed his eyes. Leo always saw right through him. “I know. I know.” He leaned into the hand Leo settled on his waist and opened his eyes with a soft smile. “But it's okay now. Because he loves me. And I love him.” He swayed into Leo's warm body. “And we both love you, how special is that?”
Leo grinned. “Pretty special.” He nodded towards the stairs. “Let's go put our stuff down. Then Lo said he wanted to take us for a drive.”
Finn nodded and picked up his and Logan's bags before leading Leo up the stairs. Leo pressed a hand to his lower back as they made their way to the end of the hall where Logan's bedroom was. “I love you,” he whispered into Finn's ear.
Finn turned to blindly kiss his shoulder before slowly opening the door.
He didn't know what he expected, coming back into Logan's childhood room- most of his stuff was in Gryffindor anyways. But there were still little signs of him. A poster of Lightning McQueen that Finn had chirped him for so hard still hung on the wall; his sisters had given it to him for his sixteenth birthday after they spent the whole day having a Pixar Movie marathon during Christmas break. There was a singular book on his bedside table- the original version of Little Women. Finn had helped him read it his freshman year. Logan had tried to hide it, but he'd cried when Beth had died. Propped up on the pillows, probably done by Iva, was a stuffed moose. Finn forgot the name. He hadn't seen it since college.
He heard Leo laugh quietly from near the dresser. “Look at you both.”
Finn turned abruptly, heart beating a little faster in his chest. Leo was holding a picture frame delicately in his fingers. Finn rested his chin on Leo's shoulder to get a closer look. His breath caught. “Oh.”
It must have been taken Finn's senior year. In the photo, he and Logan were sat on OKN’s old couch, a pile of books and papers on the coffee table in front of them. They each had their Harvard Hockey sweatshirts on, Logan with his hood pulled up over his hair. It was long and slightly curly in the picture. His head was resting against Finn’s shoulder, Finn's temple pressed to his. Finn didn't even know a photo had been taken. All he remembered was one moment they were pulling an all -nighter, and the next he'd woken up slumped awkwardly with an aching neck, Logan awake and making coffee in the kitchen. He hadn't realized Logan had slept beside him. He'd assumed Logan had left him to sleep alone.
As if summoned, there was a rap of knuckles on the door. “Salut.”
Both Leo and Finn turned. Leo was smiling at Logan. Finn didn't know what he looked like, but it must have caused concern, because both his boys immediately furrowed their eyebrows.
“Rouge,” Logan said, stepping forward to cup Finn's face in his hands. “What's wrong?”
Finn blinked. “I didn't know we slept together.”
Logan's smile was confused. “Quoi?” Leo nudged him and gestured to the photo. Logan blushed, then looked sheepishly back at Finn. “Oh. Percy took that.”
Finn shook his head. “I don't remember that.”
Logan laughed nervously. “You were really asleep.” He took a deep breath, then moved his hands to cup Finn’s neck. He pressed a kiss to his cheek before pulling away. His green eyes were soft and loving.
“I kept that on my bedside table all of senior year,” he said. He shrugged. “I missed you, mon coeur.”
Finn breathed in through his nose and pressed their foreheads together. He closed his eyes. “I missed you, too.” He kissed Logan briefly. “But now you're right in front of me.”
“Ouais,” Logan whispered. “Ici, rouge.”
Finn wrapped his arms around Logan's waist and squeezed, holding him there for a moment. When he pulled away, he found Leo leaning against Logan's bedside table, still looking at the photo. He was biting his lip and stroking his thumb over the edge of the frame. Finn looked at Logan and they both smiled. Finn turned. “Hey sunshine?”
Leo’s eyes were surprised. “Hm?”
“You wanna sleep together?”
They all burst out laughing, their bodies shaking. Leo clutched the photo to his chest and stepped into their space. His blue eyes were happy and twinkly, and Finn and Logan were so, so in love with him.
“Yeah,” he said softly, lovingly. “You know what, I just might.”
***
“Boys, I'd like everything out of there by five! We've got reservations at the nice new French place at six thirty!”
Leo watched as Alex and Finn simultaneously rolled their eyes at their mother's voice in the exact same way. Leo knew they grumbled at being compared to one another, but they were so similar it was almost scary.
“And don't roll your eyes at me!”
They both flushed red. Finn glanced towards where his mother's voice had come from in the kitchen, where she was making tea. “How did she-?”
“No fucking clue,” Alex said. He sighed. “Okay, let's do this.” He turned to Kasey and Natalie with a pout. “Help?”
Natalie bounced on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Nope!” she said, heading into the kitchen. “This is man labor. Your mom and I are trying out some new tea from the tea box I got her for her birthday.”
Alex groaned. “Really?” He turned his head towards the kitchen doorway. “Mom! Is it true your stealing my girlfriend?”
“Oh, yes! Natalie, dear, come here, I've started with the white and peach tea!”
Natalie winked. “Coming!” she called, then was sliding away towards the kitchen.
Alex watched her for a moment then sighed, shoulders sagging. “Damn. Mom’s just robbing us.”
Finn poked him in the side. “Nuh uh, she's not robbing me.”
Alex stuck his tongue out just as Haley’s voice sounded once again through the doorway. “Logan, honey, you come here, too! I found a mint one I think you'll like!”
Finn’s eyes bulged. “How does she even know that?”
Logan just smirked. “That's my cue.” He kissed Finn's cheek, then stood on his toes to press his warm lips to Leo's. “Have fun.” Then he, too, slunk out of the living room.
Finn looked dejectedly at Leo. “You won't leave me, will you?”
Leo glanced at him, then at Alex, who had a similar expression directed at Kasey, and rolled his eyes fondly. “C'mon, O'Hara boys. Time to clean your rooms.”
Alex wrinkled his nose as Kasey brought him under his arm. “You're not my mom.”
Leo snorted. “Don't I know it.”
Alex looked like he was about to protest, but Kasey tugged his hand. “Let's go, Al. We've gotta take care of that mess.”
Alex scowled as Kasey dragged him down the hallway. “It is not!”
Leo watched them go amusedly, then turned back to look at Finn. He looked a little tired from the drive up that morning, the skin under his eyes more purple than normal. Leo rubbed his thumbs over it and kissed his nose. “C'mon, sweetheart. We've gotta move the rest of your stuff out. I'll help.”
Finn nodded and leaned into Leo's hands briefly. “Okay. Okay, let's go.”
Leo didn't really know why Alex and Finn still had lots of stuff left in their childhood brownstone home, especially considering they spent lots of time in the city and had plenty of opportunities to grab stuff- and the fact that they were both in their twenties and had moved out a long time ago. But Haley had declared enough was enough, and here they were, ready to tackle a host of childhood memories and to decide whether to keep or donate them.
Finn led the way down the hallway, past where they could hear Alex and Kasey laughing in Alex's own room, to a brown door. Leo had never been inside the O'Hara's home before, nevermind Finn's room. There wasn't really a need to come when Alex had his apartment and Logan had his. Most of the time, they went out to dinner because there were so many of them, or Leo cooked a nice meal at Logan's place. He wanted to look for all the little signs of Finn, just like he had in Logan's room.
Finn opened the door carefully and whistled. “Damn, it's been a while.” He stepped aside and swept his arm. “After you, sunshine.”
Leo pressed a hand to his waist in thanks and stepped through the doorway.
It definitely was Finn's room. Not messy, but a little disorganized: trinkets on the dresser, a Rangers poster on the wall, a Harvard flag, a stuffed bulldog with a hockey jersey on the bed, books piled high on every available surface- even a stack on the floor. Leo was surprised Haley hadn't moved them.
What really caught his eye, however, were the photos on his dresser.
Most of them looked like they were from college. There was Alex and Finn on Finn’s draft day; Percy and Finn obviously drunk off their asses and hanging off of one another with streamers in their hair; Finn and Will standing together on the ice in their jerseys and smiling, Will with a C on his shoulder and Finn with an A. Leo smiled- he liked putting the pieces of Finn and Logan together, separately and individually. They'd spent so long intertwined, and that's what most of the Harvard stories they told him were about, but it warmed him to think they still had their own friends, their own people, their own experiences. Leo loved them both endlessly in all their multifacetedness.
The photo on the far right made him stop. It was of Finn and Logan in a backyard somewhere. String lights shone behind them. Finn had his arm tightly over Logan's shoulders, Logan's head resting in the crook of his elbow. They were both smiling widely, obviously a little tipsy. Their jaws were a little less defined, their shoulders less broad, their legs slimmer. They looked so young.
Two hands came to rest on Leo's hips. “That was the first fall we met,” Finn whispered into Leo’s shoulder. “Even then I was already falling in love with him.”
Leo swallowed around a lump in his throat. It hurt him, to think of them hurting. It hurt, selfishly, to think about the fact he didn't know them then; if they would have even been friends, much less lovers.
Finn seemed to sense the tension lingering in his body, because he wrapped Leo up tighter and pressed their bodies close together. Leo could feel the warmth and solid muscle of Finn, even through their sweatshirts.
“I love you,” Finn said. “We love you. You make everything worth it, sunshine, because we got you.”
“I know,” Leo replied softly, leaning back against Finn's chest. “Sometimes I just- I imagine I was there. In school, making friends, studying, laying on the grass. Playing hockey, going to parties, laughing. Being young in that way.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “I always imagine it as being fall.”
Finn smiled against Leo's neck. “Fall in New England is pretty.”
Leo tilted his head sideways to rest against Finn's. “Can we go someday? During the fall?”
Finn nodded eagerly and kissed his jaw softly. “Whatever you want, baby. I'll take you everywhere.”
Leo let out a happy sound and turned his head to kiss Finn on the lips. Finn’s mouth was gentle and loving, pinning Leo in place in the way only he and Logan could do. Leo had never been kissed with such care and focus until he'd kissed them.
“Oh.” A voice interrupted them. They smiled against one another's mouths and then turned to look at Logan in the doorway. He looked them up and down carefully before nodding to the tray in his hands. “Haley made you tea.”
Finn squeezed Leo's waist one more time before walking to take the tray from Logan with a kiss. “Thanks, baby.” He set the tray on the bed and picked up a red mug with a fish on it. “What'd she make?”
“Lady Grey for you,” Logan said. He picked up a mug with flowers and walked over to Leo. “And a green and raspberry tea for you, Le.” He stopped when he saw where Leo was looking at. When he saw the photo, he smiled. “Oh.” He turned to look at Finn. “That was a long time ago, non?”
Finn nodded around his sip. “Your freshman year.”
Logan hummed, then leaned into Leo's chest. “Allez,” he said, tilting the mug towards Leo's lips. “Ça va, mon soleil?”
Leo nodded, reaching up to wrap his fingers gently around Logan's wrists. “It's good.” He kissed Logan's forehead and moved one arm down to wrap around his waist. “Thank you.”
“Hey,” Finn said suddenly. “Look here.”
They both turned to find Finn standing there with his phone. The warmth of the mug pressed into Leo's chest where Logan was holding it between them. He pressed his fingers into Logan's lower back to bring him closer and smiled. He felt Logan’s forehead rest against his collarbone. He could imagine his smile: sheepish and content, his green eyes peering out at the camera.
Finn stayed there for a moment, then brought his phone down. He looked out over his classes at the screen and smiled. “Perfect,” he said. His eyes moved to look at them. His teeth were white against his freckled skin. “I'm printing this when we get home. Gonna blow it up and frame it in the living room for everyone to see.”
Leo laughed. “No you're not.”
Finn raised his eyebrows. “Watch me.” He walked up to them and wrapped an arm around each of their waists. He kissed their cheeks softly. “I love you.”
“Love you,” Logan sighed. He nuzzled into Leo's sweatshirt neck, then tilted his head up. Leo brushed his thick hair back off his forehead so he could gaze at his eyes. Logan grinned softly and leaned up for a kiss. “Allez,” he said against Leo's mouth. “Let's clean.”